Cows say “Booooooooo”
Tractors are pronounced “tactahs”
Fences are great for climbing
Gates are great for getting stuck between
Horses are great to look at from a distance but are pretty darn scary close up
and pastures are great for escaping from mommy – AND great for discovering your first pile up manure!!! Yeah, that was fun.

Let me back up & explain a bit of history to you

My Great-Grandmother, Pearl Edwards, passed away in 1992 at the age of 98. She & my Great-Grandfather, Tom, married in 1912 and shortly thereafter traveled from North Carolina to Washington State, where they lived in a green wagon while starting their new life together. My Grandmother (my dad’s mom) was born in 1913, and the small family picked up camp and moved to Fort Rock, Oregon. I’m not sure if all of my grandmother’s sisters and her youngest brother were born in Fort Rock or not, but eventually the Edwards’ family picked up camp again and headed back east to start a life of farming in Forest Hill, MD. This is where my dad and his sister and brothers would grow up, where my sister & I spent our summers, and is the little country town that is so near and dear to my heart.

My numbers may be slightly off, but I am pretty sure that when my Great Grandmother passed away, she was survived by 5 kids, 17 grandkids, 35 great grandkids, and a handful of great great grandkids. THAT, folks, is what you call a family reunion and that was 17 years ago!! Our family has certainly grown since 1992 and while it’s impossible for all of us to get together, we’re still able to come up with some pretty impressive numbers.

So, if you’ve surmised by now that we went to a family reunion today ON A FARM, pat yourself on your back because you’re right!!

I really enjoyed seeing so many of my Aunts, Uncles and cousins again, and explaining to Norm (again!!) exactly how we’re all related. I do feel bad for him because his side of the family is very small – both he & his mom are only children – so I imagine it’s a bit overwhelming for him to try to remember who’s who, and forget about him remembering everyone’s names!! He just shakes hands and says “nice to see you again!” LOL!!

Anyway, Cubby had a blast and I can’t wait to take him back up. Also, it was a FANTASTIC way to spend his 1 year anniversary home! (One year ago today, Cubby landed in the US and became a citizen!)

I do wish I had more time to visit with everyone today, but once Cubby discovered the manure pile I knew I had my hands full (uh, no pun intended!!). Enjoy the photos below! Some of them aren’t the greatest, but I’m posting them for my dad regardless. He hasn’t been to the farm for a few years, and hasn’t seen all the changes that have taken place. Everywhere you see houses (except for the old farm house) once stood row upon row of corn fields and pristine cow pastures. Most of the land was sold when my Uncle Buddy passed away. Kinda sad - - I much prefer the open spaces I remember from my childhood!

One year ago today, Cubby left the only home he ever knew to join ours. We carried him out of the Vidnoye orphanage in our arms, so proud and scared to finally be parents. The past year has absolutely flown by but I am so happy to be able to say "Happy Family Day!!" to my husband and our son. Cubby, we love you immensely!

THANK YOU everyone for following us on this journey...for your love, your prayers, your support and your friendship. We couldn't have made it this far without you!

God bless each of you!
Karyn, Norm, Cubby, Bailey, Bandit, Pogo & Ivan

Exciting stuff happened this Memorial Day weekend (aside from Cubby's new found passion for spatulas, that is). In honor of our upcoming 1st Family Day Anniversary (a.k.a. Gotcha Day), we decided to expand our family once again.

Norm & I have been dreaming of this addition for nearly 14 years now. So, we felt it was important to include Cubby in this decision as much as a 2 year old can be included. We tried to explain the pros and cons, and what his responsibilites would be. We showed him pictures and made up some stories about how much fun we would all have. "We" being me, Norm, Cubby, Bailey, Bandit and of course the new family member. Ivan & Pogo respectfully declined being included in the discussion. Cuz you know, cats have much more important things to do.

And speaking of the pets...Surprisingly enough to those of you who know me well, our newest family member doesn't have fur, a tail, or 4 paws; doesn't bark or meow, or need to have a litter box changed, there's no "life time supply of bones" anywhere in the contract, or demand to be fed at 2am.

Even better - we didn't have to travel all the way to Russia to bring her home!

Anyhoo. Cubby got fed up with all this talk over the weekend, drug us down to Thornburg, VA, a couple times and told us to have at it already. The end result???

Meet Poppy - - whose full name is Poppy Coleman Fleetwood Niagara!!

Oh, and don't I just look absolutely FABULOUS in this next photo? That tank top is oh so flattering! Thankfully Norm listened to me & didn't get my capris, ankle socks & slippers in the photo! (That would have been a little too much ummmm trailer trash, thank you very much!)

I know you're anxious to see Poppy set up in all her glory, so I'll post pictures soon of the exterior and some better ones of the inside. Folded up she's 14' long, and set up she's 26'. There's a surprising amount of headroom inside and best of all, she's paid for in full!

I know camping isn't everyone's "thing", but we LOVE it. Some of my best childhood memories are camping with my dad and sister in places like Colorado and Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park. I can't wait to start creating these same types of memories with Cubby.

We may take our first trip this weekend & head down to Virginia Beach. Woohoo! Time to hit the open road and get outside and play!

This afternoon we escorted Ilya to a Memorial Day cookout. Do you notice a recurring theme in these photos?

Mother's Day 2008: After a 2 month separation from our son, Norm & I landed in Moscow and finally found ourselves back in the same country as our little boy. A Russian judge wouldn't officially proclaim Cubby as our son until later that week, but in our hearts and minds we knew.

Mother's Day 2009: It may have taken nearly 14 years to finally celebrate my first official Mother's Day, but celebrate I did! I woke up to my 2 boys, Norm & Cubby, cooking a wonderful breakfast for me complimented by a centerpiece bouquet of beautiful roses. After church we went hiking at Great Falls, followed by dinner and finally back home at 9:30 last night. Ilya only napped for a total of 10 minutes the entire day and he did WONDERFUL! For me, it was the perfect day with a perfect little boy, a perfect husband, perfect pets and perfect weather.

Our church recognizes mom's on Mother's Day, and for the first time I was able to stand proudly as Cubby's momma. I nearly received a carnation for being a mom for the shortest amount of time; 11 months for me and 10 months for the mom who was actually awarded the carnation.

Norm was talking about this with the friends who joined us for dinner. When he said I had "nearly won" I stopped him and said "No, babe...I DID win!!"

Just see for yourselves...(and don't miss that adorable baby belly on the bridge!!)